Storage tanks are widely used to transport and store a variety of chemicals, solutions, or substances, such as water, liquids, fuels, fluids, pressurized gases, and the like, including corrosive or caustic (e.g., acidic or alkaline) chemicals, mixtures, or solutions. Storage tanks may be stationary, such as by being provided with a support or by being placed on the surface of the ground or partially or fully underground, or may be movable, such as by being mounted on a truck, trailer, movable skid, ship, or other movable platform or vehicle. Multiple industries utilize storage tanks for temporary or permanent storage and transport of a variety of chemicals or substances used in many different industrial, agricultural, and oil and gas operations.
Some industries, such as the oil and gas industry, utilize multiple storage and transport tanks in the field, such as chemical storage tanks, condensate tanks, separator tanks, frac tanks, and the like. These tanks are usually transported over rough, muddy, and uneven terrain, and are frequently left at wellsites for extended periods of time. As such, the tanks are exposed to the detrimental and corrosive effects of both the environmental conditions and the various chemicals or solutions they store.
For example, transporting existing storage tanks over rough terrain often causes damage to the tanks or to the tank trailers or supports, as existing movable storage tanks and tank supports have generally low ground clearances, and are prone to impacting, contacting, or dragging against rocks, bumps, or other terrain features as they are moved in the field. Further, because existing storage tanks are relatively heavy (especially when full), existing storage tanks tend to get stuck in muddy or rough terrain, to the point where some prior art storage tanks include reinforced portions and tow hooks to allow them to be pushed, pulled, or otherwise extracted from the mud.
Another disadvantage of existing storage tanks is that they tend to be positioned directly in contact with the ground when in use, which exposes them to moisture, and/or mud and causes them to gradually corrode and start leaking. Leaks often develop on the portions of the storage tanks which are not visible (e.g., the bottom or underside), which makes visually detecting leaks difficult or practically impossible. In some instances, a leak may go undetected for a long period of time causing a large amount of the substance stored in the storage tank to leak into the ground or otherwise pollute the wellsite and expose oilfield personnel to hazardous chemicals or substances. This problem is further exacerbated by the fact that storage tanks are frequently used to store corrosive chemicals, such as alkaline or acidic chemicals or solutions. Such chemical storage tanks are subjected to the dual action of external corrosive effects from the environment and internal corrosive effects from the chemicals stored in the tank, which leads to short life spans and to frequent field failures of existing chemical storage tanks.